What's It Like to Be a Master? AERENA - Masters Edition vs. the F2P Clash of Champions

Posted by Campbell Bird on February 23rd, 2015
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

As mentioned earlier this week, free-to-play turn-based MOBA Aerena: Clash of Champions has a new premium priced version called Aerena - Masters Edition. This new edition eschews its former F2P model in favor of asking players to pay upfront for an experience that's ad-free and eliminates the grind. Since I reviewed Aerena when it first came out and noted the game's somewhat slow progression, I decided to take a look at Masters Edition to see how well it delivers on its promises.

As it turns out, I found myself able to purchase unlocks including new units, ships, and shells all within playing a couple matches, which is a big difference from Clash of Champions. It seems as though Masters Edition is more generous with its in-game currency in general, making progression feel a lot smoother. In doing so, playing it felt more like a game about crafting a loadout that fits a particular playstyle rather than a game about slapping together whatever units and items are the most affordable.

It is worth noting that with this re-release players can still opt to play Aerena in its free-to-play form, and both versions of the game allow players to play against one another. Also worth noting is the fact that the free-to-play version offers time-limited trials of new units, whereas the paid version does not. This isn't really a big deal though, since it is easy enough to unlock units in Masters Edition anyway.

Overall, those that were frustrated by the progression mechanics of Aerena: Clash of Champions in its original form should be pleased with the changes that Aerena - Masters Edition has made. That being said, anyone that wasn't initially compelled by it won't be won over by this new version.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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AERENA - Masters Edition screenshot 6 AERENA - Masters Edition screenshot 7 AERENA - Masters Edition screenshot 8 AERENA - Masters Edition screenshot 9 AERENA - Masters Edition screenshot 10
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